Education & Pedagogy

This up-to-date, candid examination of women's careers in education and leadership in education describes the pitfalls, triumphs, and future promise of female leaders in education. Despite the gains women have made in higher education over the past few decades, and an increasing number of well-qualified female candidates, they are still underrepresented in tenure-track positions and higher level administration roles. By carefully examining the challenges and problems within the higher education system that cause this inequity, opportunities for positive change can be found. Overall, education is a field still dominated by women, yet women do not typically pursue or attain leadership positions at the administrative level. Research has revealed some of the reasons for this: women still experience gender discrimination in education careers, experience higher attrition rates, and have slower career mobility than do men. Additionally, women in education are apparently less valued, and their performance is more critically evaluated, as in other fields. This insightful text shows the gender-based inequities and discrimination women face when aiming for leadership positions in education, and lays out a plan to bring success to this level of the field that is still male-dominated. "Women as Leaders in Education: Succeeding Despite Inequity, Discrimination, and Other Challenges" is the result of a team of leading feminist educators and scholars. It delves into feminist women's leadership in education from kindergarten to graduate school. This two-volume work assesses the historical and current political landscape with regard to women hitting a "glass ceiling," issues of social justice, and the unique challenges women face in educational leadership as well as the new field of teacher leadership.

This study was designed to supply data on career patterns of teacher education graduates of three Iowa Regent's Universities. The research was aimed at answering the following questions: (1) What full-time occupations have been pursued by the graduates of one, five, and ten years ago? (2) What factors influenced acceptance of employment in nonacademic fields? (3) What skills and competencies obtained in the teacher education program were used to secure and function in employment in nonacademic fields? (4) What skills and competencies needed in their current occupation and related to the teacher education graduate program do graduates wish they had? and (5) What experiences in the teacher education program have been useful in preparing graduates for their personal and civic lives? Two instruments were developed to address these questions: a career profile card and a 69-item, follow-up questionnaire. (Both are appended.) Results show that: (1) the majority of the Iowa teacher education graduates currently reside in the state of Iowa or contiguous states; (2) teacher education as an undergraduate major is still a common choice for women; (3) over three-fourths of all the teacher education graduates studied are teaching or have taught full-time; (4) teacher education graduates are interested first in obtaining a teaching position, with nonacademic employment as a second choice; (5) sex role differences are evident in the reasons why teacher education graduates accept nonacademic employment; (6) the employment ambitions of teacher education graduates working in nonacademic occupations are relatively stable; and (7) teacher education graduates find the special abilities and aptitudes developed in their subject matter majors to be of prime importance in qualifiying for nonacademic professions. (MM)

The valid interpretation of information related to the outcomes of vocational education is a persistent and profound problem of the profession. Some of the reasons for this problem are difficulties of communication, problems of definition, problems of collecting and interpreting data, and lack of documentation. The primary problem appears to be lack of commonly accepted definitions of "vocational student,""relatedness" of training to employment, "job performance," and "job satisfaction." To address these concerns, a National Conference on Outcome Measures for Vocational Education was held in August 1978. The four major papers presented at this conference are contained in this document. In the first paper, Mary Bach Kievit explains the values of the various groups directly concerned with vocational education, analyzes the impact that these values have on the perspective through which members of each group view vocational education, and ascertains the implications for choosing and interpreting outcome measures in vocational education. Then John Jennings describes the context in which the new evaluation requirements for vocational education came about in the Vocational Education Amendments of 1976, and the nature of those requirements. In the third paper, Donald W. Drewes examines the effects of standardized outcome measures through federal, state, and local levels. Finally, Grant Venn suggests that traditional success criteria in both work preparation and in general education are not relevant to the future. Somehow, the two must be put together and changed if vocational education is to meet the needs of both learner and society. (KC)

As part of Project IMPACT's efforts to identify and develop procedures for complying with the impact requirements of Public Law 94-482, a case study was made of two Illinois communities and the vocational education programs in those communities. The study examined the relationship between the "good" vocational education programs in Elwood and Walker, Illinois, and a global view of life in the communities where they are situated. The study of Elwood showed that the success of its high school vocational program derived in part from the dynamic efforts of the high school principal/vocational educator, and in part from the homogeneous values and no-nonsense approach of the town's citizens, among other factors. The town of Walker runs three exemplary vocational education programs--Experience Based Career Education (EBCE), programs for special needs learners, and a home planning and design course. Project IMPACT observed that the commitment of both the town and the vocational educators of Walker to continuously and rigorously monitor, improve, and expand vocational education offerings has been a major ingredient in the overall positive image and impact of its vocational education programs. For Project IMPACT, the case studies pointed to the need for further case studies of local vocational education programs, with resources for the investigator to live in the community and observe students and teachers as they interact. Other useful case study approaches would be multiple cases of students as they take individual courses and of classroom teachers and vocational educators who have built exemplary programs. (KC)

The federal contribution to higher education is discussed in terms of the evolution of its role from 1787 to 1958, the growing regulatory presence, the National Defense Education Act, the Higher Education Acts of 1963 and 1965, the 1972 Higher Education Amendments, and recent legislative actions. Specific chapter discussions cover the following: postwar trends, federal land grants for higher education, the Morrill Land Grant College Act, the G.I. Bill, federal research grants to universities, equal opportunity policies, the politics of regulation, Title IX, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1964 (the Buckley Amendment), tuition tax credits, the Department of Education, policy analysis, constraints on the federal role, and speculation on the future. The following appear in tabular form: estimated expenditures of institutions of higher education, by source of funds, alternate years (1960-1976); estimated expenditures of different forms of federal aid by institutions of higher education, alternate years (1960-1970); trends in costs of implementing federally mandated social programs (1965-1975); total outlays for higher education, by source of funds, selected years (1939-1970); federal funds as a percentage of the total current income of universities and colleges, by control of institution (1939-1970); estimated expenditures of institutions of higher education, by source of funds, selected years (1960-1977); and the development of Washington representation in higher education. It is shown that the scope of the federal contribution to higher education has grown since World War II. In fiscal 1977, the federal budget for higher education was approximately $11.75 billion and growing. Including all major forms of aid, this constitutes about one-fifth of all funds spent by public institutions of higher learning and about one-third of total private school funds. (CC)

This paper focuses on the impact of globalization in the domain of higher education, particularly, design education. It reviews how globalization may affect educational policy and planning in Hong Kong by drawing on an empirical study involving senior management, a course leader and a design trainer/facilitator. This paper not only illustrates the challenges of globalization to education sectors worldwide, but also brings the merits of globalization in education to the fore and considers the challenges that it presents to multidimensional phenomena. The diversity of curricula; professional mobility; accountability and quality remain as parts of a continuing dialogue in the context of the global community. Research into these issues could trigger and influence thinking on how local design education (in the tertiary and higher education sectors) might be restructured to satisfy educators' hopes and desires for an ideal future in which design is promoted as being more imaginative, innovative, and eliciting wider responses to ideas, experiences, feelings, emotions, and intercultural cooperation in a globalizing world in both developed and developing nations. Rich data were collected through a series of individual interviews with design students, teaching staff and design practitioners together with a focus group discussion with key members of a curriculum planing team. This data were analyzed with reference to current literature on globalization, education reform and course planning strategy. The author was inspired by the fact that globalization drives changes in education towards global perspectives. However, institutions, society, stakeholders and the public, as well as governments in this global world, should be sharing the goal of ever-increasing excellence in teaching combined with concern for local and global contexts. The impact of globalization on education (design education) is a subject of debate and discourse within the whole global community.

Global discourse about human rights, education for all, and inclusive education has altered social norms relating to dis/ability and schooling, especially through awareness-raising, by legitimating advocates' positions and by facilitating policy reforms. Affected by societal and educational change, special education systems and their participants have also transformed societies. Widespread recognition of education's impact--and of institutionalised discrimination that disabled pupils face--galvanises contemporary debates. If special education successfully provided learning opportunities to previously excluded pupils, the goal has shifted to inclusive education. In such settings, all children, regardless of their characteristics, attend neighbourhood schools where they are supported to reach their individual learning goals in diverse classrooms. This global ideal has gained legitimacy, as most countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD), which mandates inclusive education, specifying facilitated access and meaningful educational opportunities. This has considerable implications for all learners. Examining the effects of the UN-CRPD in Germany, one of the most highly stratified and segregated education systems in Europe, provides a hard test case of the (potential) impact of this international charter on national education systems. To meet its mandate, Germany's 16 states ("Bundesländer") would have to radically reform their education systems, whose segregated structures remain antithetical to inclusive education. Examining education policy reform processes since the 1970s, we find contrasting path-dependent reactions: In Schleswig-Holstein, inclusive education has diffused broadly and attained broad legitimacy, but in Bavaria its development has stalled; school segregation remains pervasive. Below national level, the UN-CRPD's potential to affect the pace and scope of change depends considerably on the structures in place at ratification.

To measure the impact of international ranking of higher education institutions on higher education reform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to propose a ranked-based ranking for the Saudi higher education institutions in addition to a ranking development model. A non-experimental study based on the quantitative data retrieved from five types of rankings (Webometrics, Shanghai, QS, Times Higher Education and Leiden) and qualitative data from the Ministry of Education, in addition to the measure proposed by the researcher (Ranked-based ranking)--are all analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The big gap between the establishment of the Kingdom (1932), the the discovery of the oil (1939) the first established higher education institution (1957), realising the importance of higher education internalization after (2000) and first inclusion of Saudi higher education institution(s) in international rankings (2006)--all indicate a slow progress on educational sector in the Kingdom, especially when compared to the the many pluses the country have. However, the achievements of the Kingdom since the launch of King Abdullah's Education Reform and Development programme have made a minor difference and resulted into having the Kingdom being ranked among the top Arab countries and mong the international higher education rankings. Yet, when comparing this to the new vision 2030--new challenges are rising and this progress seems to be turtling again. What has been achieved so far is a big plus in the history of the Kingdom; what is being intended to be achieved seems to be a shy step and a minor objective; the proposed ranked-based ranking model could be developed towards a comprehensive ranking system; and the proposed model for improving ranking is country specific and might not work for other countries.

In the history of Nepalese education, 1853 AD marked the entry of the English system of education by the establishment of Durbar Elementary School by Jung Bahadur Rana after his return from his visit to Great Britain. The English type followed the British model of India, which was at one time accredited based on the Oxford and Cambridge examinations. Several other types of education, such as Buddhist Bihar, Hindu Ashram, and Gandhian Basic Education, existed side by side. Present-day, Nepalese school education has been facing two major enduring challenges: increasing access to education and improving the quality of education, which has now been put together as quality education for all. Explicitly or implicitly, Nepalese education documents forward learner-centered education (LCT) to improve the quality of education. Indented quality needs to be implemented at the classroom level, which yet seems not been materializing in the Nepalese context. It is, therefore, essential to analyze various facets of the LCT in the Nepalese context to weave different aspects together to achieve LCT in the Nepalese school classrooms. The major objective of the present article is to analyze the pedagogical reform at primary school from LCT perspectives in Nepal. Thus the present study was descriptive. Library documents and online documents were used as tools for the collection of data. The results of the present study indicated that what has been intended LCT practices have not been implemented. Still, there is a need to clarify envisioned LCT pedagogical approaches and its effective implementation. It will be worthwhile to plan a step by step implementation and development plan and execute it incrementally with emphasis on building upon successes and expanding.

This document brings together the individual speeches and group discussions that were part of a forum to stimulate thought and discussion on correspondence education. The nine plenary addresses are provided: "Correspondence Education: From the Back of the Bus to the Driver's Seat" (Kenneth E. Young), "Flaming Issues of the Day" (D. W. Holbrook, "Our 'Real' Challenge" (J. M. D. Holladay), "Matching the Megatrends" (George M. Flattery), "Institutional Commitment to Excellence: The Correspondence Student's Best Friend" (Hester L. Turner), "The Military Correspondence Schools Compared to the Home Study Model" (James J. McAlpin), "Some of the World's Greatest Home Study Courses Still Are on the Shelf" (David L. Peoples), "Without Inspiration There is No Glory" (Marvin Grunzke), and"How to Learn More in Less Time: High Tech in Self-Instruction" (Louis E. Frenzel). The two panel discussions are a "Martin Agronski" type entitled "A Lively Exchange of Views on the Image of Correspondence Education" and a student panel discussing "What Correspondence Education Has Meant to Me." Concurrent sessions focus on "TEL TEST: Immediate Feedback on Correspondence Examinations" (Leonard Valore), "Humanizing Student Services" (Paul D. Wieland), "The Role of the Public School in Correspondence Education" (Wanda Cooksey), and "Incorporating Active Student Involvement into the Design of a Vocational Education Correspondence Course" (Mary Jane Sullivan). A summary of concurrent sessions (Jay Smink) follows. Other contents include a synthesis of the responses of the small group sessions (Lucille Campbell-Thrane) and a synthesis of proceedings, "Where Has This Forum Gone?" (Larry McCullough). The program and a list of participants and presenters are appended. (YLB)

In response to a 1978 mandate, this concluding volume of the School Finance Project's final report concentrates on the broader intergovernmental issues relating to the design and transmission of federal policies and programs, and on the effects of federal activities on state and local education agencies and on schools. The specific Department of Education activities on which the report focuses are the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) (Chapters 1 and 2); the Education for All Handicapped Children Act; the Bilingual Education Act (ESEA, Title VII); the Vocational Education Act of 1963 (as amended); and civil rights statutes. After a brief introduction, chapter 2 traces the development of federal education activities and the changed focus of federal involvement following passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Chapter 3 examines design features of federal education policies and programs, specifically the transmission of federal intent to states and localities through the concept of "signals" (i.e., formal legal freamework, legislative history, administrative decisions, and congressional review). The combination of program signals is presented for each of the major federal policies and programs. Chapter 4 examines implementation, focusing on how state and local officials shape federally funded services. Chapter 5 identifies the effect of federal involvement on state education agency capacity and functions, local education agency organization and administration, and school staffing and instructional services. An executive summary of the findings is provided, along with four appendixes giving (1) a breakdown of participating states; (2) a history of individual programs; (3) a list of antecedent programs consolidated under ECIA Chapter 2; and (4) an explanation of legal provisions. (TE)

This journal issue contains 18 solicited articles on two major topics: adult education and the elderly, and the literacy debate. The articles on adult education and the elderly include "A Ripe Old Age," republished from a newsletter of the British aid organization OXFAM; "Special Programme for Retirees: A Model Project in Cali, Colombia," by Gerardo Mondragon; "The Eternal Return," by Nqang O'Khan Kabwasa; "Aspects of Aging in India," by Ashis Bose; "Programmes for the Aged in Singapore," by Lim Hoy Pick; "Lifelong Learning: Educational Opportunities for the Elderly in South Korea," by Synghan Kim; "Burial Cult in Korea," by Mirok Li; "Death, an Indefinable Theme" a working paper of the German Adult Education Association; and "Approaches to Education for Retired People in the Federal Republic of Germany," by Monika Volker. Articles on the literacy debate include "Without Literacy, Development Limps on One Leg," by Harbans Bhola; "Now I Have Learned the Sudanese Word 'Musharaka' (='Participation')," by Bernd Pflug; "Are You Literate? A Collage," by Bernd Pflug; "WHY and HOW Literacy for Women: Some Thoughts in the Indian Context," by Kamla Bhasin; "Illiteracy, Women, and Development: Questions and Reflections," by Lalita Ramdas; "Adult Literacy by 1990," by Hans Raj Gugnani; "Adult Education and Rural Development," by Ranjit Singh; "Developing the Skills of Illiterate Health Workers," by A. R. El Tom, N. Mubarak, S. Wesley, M. H. Matthews, and D. Lauro; "Literacy Not Vital in Primary Care," by William R. Brieger; and "Action Research: A New Sociological Approach in Developing Countries," by Nelly Stromquist. Book reviews and suggested readings are included in the journal. (KC)

Unemployment among young people is a serious and persistent problem in this country. Unemployment rates are especially high among members of minority groups, for high school dropouts, and in economically depressed areas. Vocational education can help to alleviate the problem of unemployment, and a close link between schools and employers can help ensure that vocational education programs are teaching students the skills that employers will need. The public elementary and secondary schools should offer noncollege-bound students a thorough grounding in language skills, reasoning, and mathematics, along with the mechanical and technical skills and work habits that will prepare them for working life. This responsibility should not be shifted to the private sector (although ways employers can help significantly are outlined in this report). Although some vocational education and training programs do improve the employability of their graduates, the quality of vocational education programs is highly variable, and the access of disadvantaged students is not ensured. Expanded collaboration between vocational educators and private sector employers and improved cooperation between vocational education and employment training programs are recommended. Work experience programs should help, as would strengthening the capabilities of vocational education teachers through changes in certification requirements, training, use of part-time teachers, and pay scales. Three policy changes could improve the financing of vocational education: modifications in the formulas for funding programs, strategies for pooling equipment, and supplemental funding for program improvement. Other approaches include experimentation with vocational incentive grants to disadvantaged students and attention to consumer protection in vocational education programs. Selected tables on youth employment and unemployment are appended. (KC)

This report describes a summer workshop, attended by 17 persons from 13 institutions of higher education, on the theme of "Revitalizing Teacher Education in the Mid Eighties." The first two chapters of this report describe, in addition to the workshop itself, the teacher education project which sponsored it. Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 contain theme group reports on: (1) "Establishing Criteria of Excellence for Quality Control in Teacher Education"; (2) "Strengthening the Professional Curriculum"; (3) "A New Imperative: Professional and Personal Growth Opportunities for Teacher Education Faculty"; and (4) "Through the Glass Darkly: From Reactivity to Proactivity in Teacher Education." The seventh chapter provides individual reports: (1) "Proposal for Improvement of Recruitment, Selection and Retention Policies and Practices for the Teacher Education Program at The School of the Ozarks" (Ruth Anderson); (2) "A State Searches for a Better Way to Teach" (William Chance); (3) "It's Time for a Planned Program of Teacher Recruiting" (Tom Detwiler); (4) "Revitalization of the Curriculum: Positive Acculturation of Ageism through Literature" (Maryann Ehle and Gray Williamson); (5) "Impact of Change on Faculty" (Jim Gage); (6) "The Governance Unit in Teacher Education Institutions" (Juanita Kirk); (7) "Individualizing Secondary Student Teacher Lesson Plan--An Action Research Plan" (Vincent Mahoney); (8) "Alternate Designs for Capturing and Holding Student Interest in a Required Course for Secondary School Biology Teaching Majors" (Tom Mertens); (9) "Structure and Functions of a Teacher Education Unit" (John McLevie); (10) "Revitalizing Teacher Education through Research: Implications of a Study at Northern Arizona University" (Lou Pollock); (11) "Pre-Student Teaching Field Experience" (Jimmie Russell); and (12) "A Challenge to Standards: Legislation for the Handicapped" (Henry Worrest). (CJ)

This doctoral dissertation uses radical socioeducational analysis (RSA) to examine the development of special education in the United States, with special emphasis given to the development of the concept of learning disabilities. In the first chapter, the RSA method is described. Also included is a review of literature regarding various social philosophies and education, special education, learning disabilities, and radical sociological and philosophical foundations of special education. The second chapter presents a new interpretation of the roots and development of special education through overviews of general education and special education, and a discussion of the least restrictive educational environment and the ramifications of mainstreaming. The evolution of learning disabilities is covered in the third chapter, which considers the precursors of learning disabilities (child study movement, pioneering medical contribution stage, remediation stage, and slow learner period), the initial establishment of the learning disabilities label as a clinical entity, the institutionalization of learning disabilities as an educational arrangement, and the newer practice model of LD. Chapter 4 considers the learning disabilities controversy in terms of RSA, including previous special education labeling controversies and newer developments, current learning disabilities concerns, and the reproduction-resistance dialectic. Chapter 5 presents conclusions and implications for further study. A central argument of this thesis is that most children labeled as learning disabled are social victims who do not conform to regular education and are alleged to have dysfunctional internal psychological processing when in fact such youngsters are often school resisters who are merely uninterested and/or unmotivated. This kind of labeling had led to the inadvertent cooptation of special education by including millions of so-called mildly handicapped children instead of concentrating on the best possible education for the moderately and severely impaired. An 18-page reference list is appended. (CB)